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It’s been a mixed week but hopefully an enjoyable one for you. Nothing bad has occurred but it’s been full of doing a variety of stuff, rather than having one or two things to focus on which can sometimes be more preferable.

I have not stopped eating all week. Since the significant change in the weather where the temperature has dropped dramatically my body seems to crave food a lot more. As I understand it this is perfectly natural and so I have rolled with the punches and eaten whenever my body has told me to. Usually my 3 square a day has been sufficient to keep me going but lower temperatures mean my body works harder to stay warm and needs more energy.

I used up most of my weeklies and ate bread again. This included a 3 course meal at Pizza Express which included gorgeous dough bread during the starter and main courses. Of course I could have stuck to my self-imposed ‘do not eat bread unless necessary’ rule and chosen not to eat it, however we all have to live and I don’t get out much these days.

Bruschetta with creamy mushrooms to begin with, followed by chicken salad and finished off with low fat frozen yoghurt, blackcurrants in syrup with a chocolate straw. Around 45 points and worth every pro point. When looking at it from a WW point of view it was total over indulgence. From a lifestyle angle it’s really important to appreciate life with your friends. My only advice is to make sensible choices, whilst enjoying the moment – that’s certainly what I did.

Later in the week I ate 6 slices of Hovis over 2 days. I had egg on toast one morning as a mode of convenience. When I played football at work I made sandwiches as I knew I wouldn’t have time to eat a proper lunch. We all know how I feel about bread but sometimes simply have to be pragmatic and I really enjoyed being a ‘naughty’ boy.

As a quick aside I just checked my WW colleague’s blog to see if he had carried out his usual Sunday morning entry and he has. TSM has written something very similar to one of my own paragraphs above and I don’t want anyone thinking we have copied each other – the time stamp puts me at a disadvantage on that particular score. Every so often the thoughts of WW members become synchronised and this is one of those. Apologies if you feel it’s all a bit deja-vu like. If you haven’t read TSM’s blog please do so now as it’s a riveting read.

On the football front things didn’t go quite according to plan. Having enjoyed myself the previous week I was really looking forward to the game. However my quads were in a bit of a state for a few days following my return on the 19th and I didn’t want to over exert too much early on. I thought I’d warmed up enough but 5 minutes in I chased the ball down, shot across the keeper, missed by an inch and then both quads locked up. Game over in the outfield for me so I swapped sides and was in goal for the remainder of the hour. It ended up 4-4 and I made a few decent saves so all was not lost. I am not playing this week as I am on holiday so should recover well – just hope I have not done any lasting damage. I also need to get football socks and shin pads – it’s so easy to pick up a knock when you are my age.

In between Pizza Express and the football nightmare I attended the last day of my ‘taught’ course in relation to my final ACCA paper. Overall the day went well but I was mentally shattered by 4pm. I feel positive about the exam on the 8th December and the 3 day course has been a good refresher. The 3 day revision course begins in around 4 weeks and I have plenty of exam practise to get on with in-between plus I need to complete and submit the 2nd taught course exam as well. No rest for the wicked I guess.

On the way back from the course I had to pop in to Argos for a phone and a disco ball. The ball is for Eddie’s birthday next month – he loves dancing and is quite a little groover. However, he is slightly obsessed with JLS and I have a feeling there will be lots of it played during his party.

There has been no shortage of chocolate, crisps and biscuits. I haven’t had these sorts of cravings for a long time but don’t panic yet. Although I enjoyed myself a little more than usual I haven’t eaten a whole packet of biscuits or Jaffa Cakes, which I may well have back in the day. It just means I used lots of my weeklies by having 4 malted milks rather than 2 or an extra packet of crisps. The chocolate situation is not as bad as you may have first feared either. I have had lots of Curly Wurly, Aero and Nutella but made sure I was fully aware of what I was doing. However, I have tracked in detail – I always do – and know this really helps me maintain and control my weight. A better way of describing it would be I have mentally adjusted to accepting weeklies can be beneficial providing they are used sensibly. But I still sound myself a note of caution in that I have always found I do not alter as much when using them. Meanwhile I shall carry on and see what happens over the next few weeks.

After thinking about everything that passed through my mouth I was expecting a small gain or STS so a 0.4lbs loss is a great result – unexpected but all the sweeter for it. Lisa managed a STS, so it has been a very good WW week in our house.

Eddie’s golf is on hold for a few weeks over half term as his coaching is not taking place. He’s not feeling well at the moment anyway and chilling on the Wii. I am hoping to get him to the range and maybe onto the Repton course at some point this week. Fingers crossed he feels well enough to go.

It’s my birthday this week and we’re off 10 pin bowling with some friends to celebrate. It was Eddie’s choice and I am going along because I’ve been told I have to. J

Almost two weeks have passed since my last blogging effort. I think I can safely say it’s unlikely I’ll be posting every week, even though that was the original plan. Maybe once I’ve qualified I’ll put the extra time I have towards much more regular updates.

The latest news on the weight front continues to be good. The downward trend remains in place and I have managed to lose slightly less than 2.5lbs over the last two weeks which is very pleasing. As far as I am concerned anything other than a STS is a great result.

The first week was one of those weeks confirming I have no idea how my new lifestyle plan works. Although I have been very consistent in my weight reduction each week has been an adventure. I seem to have lost weight doing different things – sometimes little exercise has been involved, others no exercise at all. I’ve tried eating lots, eating less than advised, eating bread, not eating bread, pointing everything or not pointing anything. You get the idea. You learn to accept sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to the results, however we all generally know we when we have been ‘naughty’.

The week was no exception. I didn’t exercise – no change there then – and kept bread intake to a minimum. We treated ourselves to take out as it was my wife’s birthday. I had a burger – a 1/2 pounder – which came in a white roll and that’s it in terms my bread for the week. Ironically this was on the same day as I ate lunch during an offsite work team meeting. I had no idea of the points for either meal so guessed as best I could and hoped the PP’s were not too far off. I ate all my weeklies, picked on and off every day but still tracked as accurately as I could.

Every so often I find it difficult to accept anyone can lose weight without some form of exercise – especially as the weight reduces and you close in on your goal. You can imagine my pleasant surprise at finding out I had lost another 1.4lbs with a combination of eating lots and doing no exercise. I would imagine this is not something a dietician or doctor would recommend if you asked their advice on trying to lose or control your weight. Somehow Weight Watchers has worked out a plan that makes this strange combination work.

It was certainly a very good week for me.

This week has been one where various numbers have played a part on my amazing journey.

Some statistics for you:

I played football for the first time in 7 months.

Despite being on the team with 4 players as opposed to 5 I managed to score 2 goals.

I ate just 4 pieces of bread.

I have lost another 1lb.

My total loss to date is 60lbs.

I have managed to break 100kg, albeit by a very small amount.

My legs really ache at the moment – must be an age thing – but I hope to be back on the pitch next Wednesday to strut my stuff, so to speak. As I am over 3 stone lighter than the last time I played, I felt much better running around and it was just my touch that let me down every so often. The guys I played with laughed at the ’coffin’ I used to carry my kit but in the UK you never know what the weather will be like and you needs all sorts of gear. My new astro-turf boots felt tight at first but they should loosen up after a few weeks. I also claimed 15 activity PP’s for the football which could have come in handy if I’d needed them.

I’ve had some strange events at work with people not realising who I am. One lady decided not to call out my name when she was following me as she wasn’t sure it was actually me. Another walked in and tentatively said my name whilst standing behind me – I was sitting down – ‘because it didn’t look like me’. Finally, one other lady apologised as she had briefly acknowledged me earlier and then when we crossed paths again explained she hadn’t recognised me. I do wonder at how much attention these ladies pay at work lol.

We met friend this afternoon and once again I found myself at Pizza Express. Just like a few weeks ago I have had a three course meal with two lots of bread. According to the WW eating out guide I ate my daily PP’s in one go again and felt really tired this evening. However this time is I am even more relaxed about it. I need to get used to eating out ‘normally’ as once I hit goal this I something I plan to do regularly. The difference will be in choosing what I eat far more carefully and looking for the healthiest option – in my opinion, of course – to ensure my weight stays fairly consistent.

We hadn’t seen our friends and their daughter since May and Penny greeted me with a ‘hello slim’ followed by an overlong stare. She told Lisa and me we both looked great. She could hardly believe the change in me – she later described it as if I’d been vacuum packed and looked really well.

Even more clothes have left the building this week. My suit, recently purchased casual trousers, a pair of jeans, belts and t-shirts are winging their way to a charity. I think we are off shopping for more clothes tomorrow – at the moment I don’t have any trousers for golf and only one pair of work trousers. Next to go will be my cargo pants and probably another pair of jeans.

Eddie’s golf lessons continue to go from strength to strength and he scored a 3 on one of the par 3 holes on the ‘grown ups’ course, which is very impressive. He’s got a couple of weeks off from coaching at the Rudding Park Academy and I plan to make sure we have a bit of fun practising in the meantime.

Let’s clear one thing up straight away. I am not a liar. At least I don’t usually lie, unless I really need to and class those times as telling white lies.

In this case I think I told a bit of a whopper. I was hoping to update you all quickly last week but as usual life takes over. I am surprised how difficult it is to be able to blog regularly. Millions of people seem to do it every day. Then there are those other insane people who spend every second of every minute of every day either tweeting or reading tweets. Crumbs, is it just me having issues about this or am I the crazy one? I must like my own personal space and it’s why I can’t handle being driven potty 24/7.

Anyway I am sure you’re all keen to know how my weight is progressing. I have fantastic news in that regard as I am under 16 stone for the first time since 1994. It feels amazing and strange at the same time. On the 24th I weighed in at 15st 13lbs and was shocked I had lost just over 3.5lbs in a week as it gets tougher to lose regularly the closer you get to goal. I am getting lighter and the losses will be comparatively small in relation to when I started my journey back in January.

It had been another great week when I had eaten well including lots of crisps and chocolate, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. Another important factor was I had not eaten bread all week – it had been a while since I’d managed zero bread in-take. I’d not used any my weekly PP’s – it’s rare when I do – as I am keen to avoid using them whenever possible. I played golf on the Sunday which results in earning activity pro points (AP’s) and it helps with controlling weight loss. Strictly speaking I should eat all my daily, weekly and activity PP’s, as my body will store fat if it feels I am not eating enough. However, I am happy not to if I do not feel hungry and love eating lots of fruit in order to fill any hunger gaps.

After the great news Lisa, Eddie and I went into town. Eddie and I had our hair cut before pottering around the shops and shortly after we all went out for lunch at Pizza Express. It was treat time and I had a three course meal – something I very rarely have done since Eddie was born 6 years ago – which included 2 lots of my food nemesis, bread. According to the WW eating out guide I ate my daily PP allowance in one go but I really wasn’t bothered – I felt I deserved it. The other thing I felt was full up – it was a very big meal in comparison to my normal intake – and I was tired late afternoon. This occurs after you eat a lot of food as your body sends all the blood necessary to relevant organs in order to break it down into its constituent waste parts. It definitely feels different when I eat lots of healthy food as I generally find I have lots of energy afterwards. A classic example of this is when we eat Chinese – there are sometimes lots of ‘bad’ ingredients in a take away and your body recognises them quickly. It then decides to break them down as fast as possible and this results in you feeling hungry again relatively soon. I love my Chinese and now value my takeaways even more than before. I guess the difference now is I stop after eating one dish – usually the house special fired rice – and normally feel well fed after.

The outcome of my weight loss meant my daily PP allowance reduced again. When I started in January I was on 56 and am now on 45, which is beginning to feel more challenging than before. But I won’t complain about the reduction as it’s nothing but a very positive thing. What is pleasantly surprising is how quickly and easily the weight has dropped off using Weight Watchers – I can’t recommend it enough to anyone who is considering changing their lives forever.

So on to this week then. I have been feeling hungry much more often than before and generally that means using some weekly PP’s. I guess it’s what they are for and I used most of them – some evenings I was craving snacks and the weeklies allow me to not worry about eating crisps, biscuits and chocolate whenever I want. It’s just it has to be in moderation rather than excess, which is what caused my weight gain over the years.

Luckily for me I managed another round of golf at Rudding Park, plus I practiced at the range whilst Eddie was attending the coaching academy. This accumulated AP’s which always come in handy, especially if I am eating my weeklies as they act as a get out of jail free card in case I have under pointed at any time. Generally when I don’t use my weeklies or AP’s I tend not to put weight on.

I was wondering if the meal I’d had would affect this week’s weigh in. Although I am on a self -imposed zero bread lifestyle I had eaten a few slices during the week and thought this might affect the result come weigh in on Saturday. I am much more acutely aware of what I eat and in particular the amount of bread I consume.

As it turns out I needn’t have worried too much. I have lost another 0.4lbs this week, which is a great result as far as I am concerned. I was hoping for a STS due to the meal out, using dailies and eating bread and the weigh in reminded me it’s possible to enjoy myself without impacting on my objective of losing weight slowly. I was pleasantly surprised and am still under 16 stone – it’s very cool being able to say that to people who haven’t seen me in a while.

I worked out even Lisa has never seen me at this weight. I met her in 1998 when I was 4 months into my round the world travels – I think I was a ½ stone heavier than when I left the UK from partying and drinking. I feel I look like a new man to her – literally. Knowing my goal weight is less than a stone away is a great feeling. I am slightly curious to know how I’ll feel once I reach my goal weight. Will there suddenly be a void or does the change of rules involving maintaining my weight simply mean substituting one form of behaviour for another? Time will tell.

My friend TSM updated his blog this morning and was talking about clothing issues. I can relate to everything he wrote – the only difference is my weight has steadily been coming down, other than when we went on holiday in June when I put on 8lbs. Whereas his gains feel very noticeable to him, my losses have impacted hugely with regard to the number of clothes I have available to wear right now.

At the beginning of this year my wardrobe was full. It contained clothes I hadn’t ever worn, some I’d not put in in years, others that were ‘goal gear’ and the usual sentimental bits and pieces one can never throw out. I have a Hawaiian style shirt from Fiji which I got in 1998 – it hasn’t fitted me for over a decade – but couldn’t get rid of as it was part of my travelling days and one of the few items I have kept. I tried it on yesterday and Lisa told me straight it is now too big for me. Oh woe is me, what to do, what to do?

The last 6 months have been an endless stream of fashion shows for Lisa and Eddie, which has resulted in systematically reducing the contents of the wardrobe. So much so that yesterday I no longer owned any jeans that fitted me. I bought a couple of pairs 4 weeks ago, neither of which did me any favours when I put them on. My cargo pants are huge, the ¾ length trousers are massive and both pairs of work trousers are positively Laurel and Hardyesque. It’s the same in respect of shirts – I think I have only 2 casual shirts that make me look normal.

After Eddie’s golf there was no choice other than to visit Sainsbury’s – we needed other stuff and to sort next year’s holiday anyway – to find jeans and various tops. I bought a pair of 38” regular straight leg – the bootleg ones of the same size hung off me – and I thought the straight ones would be fine. Admittedly I never tried them on in the shop but when I got home and finally did it was a disaster. Within seconds Lisa told me they looked awful. Not only that but they actually felt very loose.

Late that evening back I returned to pick up more bits and pieces and swap the 38’s for 36’s. Of course they didn’t have any in my leg length, so I tried on slightly more expensive 36’s and had success. I picked up a couple of tops – weird looking for an L rather than something with an X somewhere on the label – and headed home.

One fashion show later and Lisa said ‘wow, they look like jeans’. I now have small love handles when I put them on but am way past caring. At least I have something to wear now. My wardrobe continues to be eerily empty but I seem to be in-between sizes anyway. Slowly, slowly catchy monkey, especially as it gets expensive buying clothes regularly.

Once again I have run out of time. I am sure there will be more clothing issues next week.

As someone who works I completely understand how disappointing it is when someone promises to do something and they don’t deliver. So I’d like to apologise to you all as I have been one of those people of late in respect of my blog – these days my life is busy at work and home. This results in me failing to find time to update you on my incredibly wonderful life – a poor excuse, but that’s the way it is at the moment.

I am not complaining but am trying to justify my lazy behaviour in my mind in order to share my thoughts regularly. I am not so young and missing my own deadlines frustrates me – it’s not like I am writing an article for a rocket science journal.

It was two weeks ago when I last put pen to paper – so to speak – and I can hardly recall what I have done. I do know time has flown and I’ve packed all sorts of things in, but they’ve blurred into one event – or so it seems.

In respect of my weight not much has happened. I have lost a small amount and this resulted in me losing another PP (Weight Watchers Pro Point), which was surprising but it’s always good when PP’s go down. However, I have moved from Obese to Overweight in respect of my BMI and that is significant. It’s crept up on me but I am happy to know the new lifestyle is working so well. My BMI isn’t something that I have consciously been thinking about but am aware some of my WW brothers monitor their BMI and make a big thing of changing their ranges on a regular basis. My mentioning it is as much as I care to make of it but understand it is a significant step towards a longer life.

I have been struggling to stay within my allocated daily PP’s and feeling quite hungry. This tends to happen when I play golf as my body is telling me to stock up on the energy I have used. What’s strange is that I didn’t play golf last week and in this case I think it’s because I was getting over my tummy bug that made me crave food. I spent most of the week eating bread and think this stopped me from losing weight. However I am not going to complain as a STS (stayed the same) is no bad thing. I am back on zero bread this week and it will be interesting to see the effect of this when I weigh in on Saturday morning. I also played golf on Sunday and maybe this will also play its part when I step on the scales.

Last weekend Eddie had his first golf coaching session at the academy at Rudding and had a great time despite the weather not being brilliant. He’s making good progress and having lots of fun – the latter being main thing – and is looking forward to next week’s lesson. I bought him a couple of clubs – a driver and wedge – which he hasn’t yet hit and hopefully he’ll be able to give them a try come Saturday.

The good lady wants the laptop so I am going to keep this short and will catch up again after my weigh in.

It’s been a while and as I have some spare time I thought I’d put down some thoughts. I am not sure where the last few weeks have gone but I guess it’s an age thing.

Let’s get the weight thing out of the way. My first missing week – and for those of you who are interested, it’s week 33 of my lifestyle change – resulted in a loss of 1.2lbs. Another steady loss always pleases me and put my weight in an area very close to the same as in 1993. It’s very strange to think I am now the same size as when I used to play football, golf, party hard and ski too. I don’t think I could cope with all that now but love being so much lighter than the beginning of the year.

The following week I managed a small loss of 0.4lbs. Again I was really happy as I couldn’t seem to stop filling my body up – eating out, picking every so often and going over my dailies. I put this down to playing 2 rounds of golf within the space of 4 days and my body was telling me to replenish all the energy I had used – who am I to argue with that? I rarely use my weeklies but was happy to enjoy the odd treat for a change – highly encouraged by the wife to do so lol.

I haven’t changed anything when going about my new lifestyle – I do the same things now as when I started with Weight Watchers, which is mainly change what I eat – and am still very much enjoying the new me. At some point I am going to start doing exercise on a regular basis – I don’t play golf every week – and that should mean more steady weight losses. I think it will be fun learning to have to eat more in order to either maintain or lose weight. I never really thought about it when I was younger, but my relationship with food is very different now and I understand it’s important to ensure my body is happy in terms of energy levels. If we don’t replenish properly the body begins to start storing fat and that will slow down any weight loss. It all depends on how you view your new lifestyle. I view it as a holistic change – not just physical, but mental too – and so although weight loss is important, feeling amazing within myself provides a far greater reward.

I’ve noticed a few of the men on the Weight Watchers notice boards have struggled with their weight recently. I sympathise with them and wish them all the best on their journeys, as they are all top blokes. All I can suggest is trying to return to all the good habits that worked well for them before in an effort to begin to feel good again – they all know the system works. I am rooting for you brothers.

The manager at my golf club hadn’t seen me for around 5 weeks and his first comment was ‘wow, you’re literally disappearing before my very eyes’. It’s great when others notice changes.

After these weight losses I had to try on some clothes again, fearing – in a good way, of course – that some would no longer fit me. It’s fantastic this weight loss thing, but can cost a small fortune if you’re not careful.

I can hardly believe I am writing this but I put on a pair of 38 inch cargo pants the other day. My wife said as I walked down the stairs ‘wow, I have to say you look normal’. Now THAT is a compliment lol. I have gone from a 46 to 38 since Jan 14. It depends on the cut of course, but does feel great. Having recently given away huge amounts of clothes I think I will be doing the same again soon. Most of the shorts I got for my holiday in June are way too big and various shirts and t-shirts do not make me look particularly attractive lol.

I need to give Lisa another fashion show so she can tell me what can stay and go and then it’s off to Asda or wherever for some cheap – but convenient – fitting clothes.

I’ve really been enjoying my golf and had a lesson for the first time in years. For some reason I have been struggling to hit my driver well and thought I should sort the problem out sooner than later. I am playing well but this was intended to give me even more confidence. As I’ve lost the best part of 52lbs my swing plane has changed back to roughly the same as it was nearly 20 years ago and means I need to change the way I think as well as how I physically swing the club. The results of the lesson were quickly obvious and I am excited about playing again a week on Sunday.

Eddie – my son – has taken to golf very quickly. He has an amazing swing for someone so young – he’s not yet 6 – and seems to really enjoy himself. He had a lesson on Sunday and to both his mother and my own surprise, the pro took him out onto the 6 holeRepton course at Rudding Park. The holes are not long but I wasn’t sure if he was ready yet. Once again he was incredible. He played off the ladies tees and even managed a 4 – I’ve struggled round the course myself – and I was a very proud Dad. There was a group of adults in front who watched him tee off – straight onto the green – and they all gave him a clap. It nearly brought me to tears. He’s now booked on an 8 week coaching course and I will update you on his progress.

Eddie lost his first tooth last night – bless – and was very cool, calm and collected about it. He was munching on a bar of chocolate and simply said – ‘Daddy, my tooth’s come out!’ The tooth fairy has been – £2, talk about inflation lol – and he’s all excited about telling everyone at school all about it. There are other loose ones so the tooth fairy had better watch out.

Unfortunately I am off sick at the moment. I won’t go into too much detail but let’s just say me and the toilet have become closer than I would like. I slept for best part of 30 hours yesterday and have only just got some colour back in my cheeks. My appetite is non-existent.

I really hope to be back at work tomorrow as my involvement on a major project could have serious repercussions. Daytime TV is rubbish, so that’s another good reason to get better quickly.

It’s late but I thought I’d better write something now, rather than trying to find spare time tomorrow.

First things first I’ll share some news about my weight. It’s a small loss this week, which is another pleasant surprise as I have eaten all sorts of stuff and was simply hoping for a STS. However, a 0.6lb loss has resulted in me losing a total of 50lbs, which is no mean feat. I am delighted and now have a nice 50lb star against my Weight Watchers profile reflecting my efforts.

I’ve been off work all week and so various temptations have been trying their best to lead me off my path and into sin. That sounds sinister but really isn’t. The trouble begins when you are not preparing food yourself and you have to try and point it a la Weight Watchers. You then spend ages trying to work out if you are under, over or pointing correctly within a small tolerance. This is okay when you can choose what you are having and you accept you may be slightly out but when there is no choice – in my case it was a meal after a round of golf – it’s even more difficult.

But way before the meal scenario which was on Tuesday night there was an even bigger surprise and one which reminded me to be careful when out on the streets. Whilst out shopping with my wife and son on the weekend we popped into Greggs for a sausage roll for my boy. The good lady also wanted one. I, however really like the sausage, beans and cheese melt so tucked into one. It was nice but not over filling. Imagine my horror when I returned home to discover it was a whopping 13 pro points (hereafter called PP) for such a snack. To put this in context my daily PP allowance is currently 47. I got over it quickly but will not rush back to Greggs for myself any time soon.

And now we can return to the golf. I played for the Rabbits on Tuesday and we managed to halve our match. I am not going to go into great detail except to say I played well, my partner – the Rabbits Captain – did not and the overall match result score on the night was 5 ½ to ½ to the opposition. Our match result saved a whitewash and so was actually very good. The meal afterwards was sausages, mash, veg and gravy, followed by a huge serving of apple crumble and custard. I had no idea how the mash was made, what make the sausages were and how much sugar was in the dessert. This is something many of those following Weight Watchers struggle with but luckily for me the rest of the week worked out okay.

On Wednesday we took Eddie – who is approaching 6 – to see Mr Men at the theatre. To get to York – it was on at the Barbican – we caught a bus into town, followed by a train. When we got to York it was manic as it was race day and there were lots of posh people milling about. The good lady didn’t have a clue where we were going – I certainly didn’t – so in the end we caught a cab and a good job we did, as the 15 minute walk as suggested on the directions with the tickets was more like 35. The map supplied didn’t have the train station on it and was somewhat misleading.

As for the show itself it was a musical production for kids but somehow seemed more musically geared towards adults. It had a mixture of songs, but when you have Grease and Abba numbers thrown in you get the feeling of a bit of self-aggrandisement. All the children loved it and I guess plenty of adults sat there tapping their feet too. Overall lots of fun and I would recommend it to anyone with young children.

When we got back from the show we decided rather than stumbling around in the kitchen, take out was the best option. A burger and chips later I was stuffed. Again, I had no idea of the WW PP value but must’ve guessed well and we should let loose every now and then.

In terms of food, the rest of the week was pretty normal. I ate chocolate, crisps and biscuits. As I am keeping my bread intake low I was really happy to have lost as I have eaten a WW pizza, naan bread and a burger bun too. It’s been a really pleasant week with regard to filling my body with energy.

I played golf yesterday – it’s now Sunday morning (12:17) but I started writing on Saturday night and am actually referring to Friday – and had an excellent day out with my golf buddies. My playing partner and I were soundly beaten but we didn’t care as the company was great, the course fantastic and the sun shining all way round. When I arrived home I had homemade chicken korma and rice waiting for me too, so it couldn’t have been much better – tiny things and all that.

I also want to mention shopping. The good lady went to the shop this week, rather than doing the usual online thing. I am not surprised but when she returned there was an extra £50 on the receipt. I am not bothered about it but it goes to show when you shop online those impulse purchases don’t apply. Lisa (the good lady) doesn’t like shopping at the best of times but luckily for me came back and said never again will she go to the shop for our weekly groceries as it was all a bit insane in the shop itself. Amen to that.

I’ve had another great week. There’s just one more thing for me to cover and that is my ACCA exam result which I get via email on Monday. I said last week I might ponder and give you my thoughts on the subject, however, since then I’ve decided not to bother. Sorry to disappoint but ultimately the fact of the matter is whatever will be, will be…

I am sure I will make a much bigger deal of it once I’ve opened the email. Watch this space as I will most likely do a mid-week post on the result just because I can – it’s the rebel in me.

It’s been another busy week but successful in a few different ways, some of which involve spending cash. I’ll get to them in a while.

I am sure you’ll want to know about how much weight I’ve lost this week but I really want to give you some background – back story for all you TV and movie buffs – about my love-love relationship with food. I promise I will cover my week a little later on.

I come from a family – both close and extended – which I shall refer to as the ‘clean plate brigade’ or CPB for short. From an early age I believe I was taught to eat everything, not waste food and always ask for seconds if I was still hungry. I now view this as a mixed blessing. On one hand I was lucky to have more than enough food – and I include drink here – to never go ‘hungry’. On the other, I realise now I never learned to properly appreciate the ‘value’ of food and how important it was to control various urges and my weight.

This relationship with food resulted in me being a ‘big lad’ when I was young. I accepted any comments I got about my size with good grace – positive or negative – and just got on with life. I didn’t question how or why I had got to be so big – in that sense, the innocence of youth had a part – until I was way past my school years.

At this point I should probably say my DNA resulted in me being a very relaxed person. I once worked with someone who said to me if I was any more relaxed I’d actually be horizontal, so that’s an indication of where I sit on the stress scale. I think this is why the way I was treated when I was young didn’t affect me at that time as much as some other people. I am not planning on going into too much detail but hope you get the general idea – the detail may come one day about sports, exams, friendships, partying, being on TV…

Moving on. Skipping various parts of my life in order to keep things simple. Aged 26 (1993) I decided to join a gym for the first time. This changed everything for me.

I was around the same weight then as I am now – it’s strange to think that’s the case – and single. I spent at least 3 nights a week in the gym, played football twice a week – three when I played twice in one night – and felt incredible. I never knew how good one could feel until I made the choice to move outside my comfort zones – primarily it was embarrassment at looking silly – and into one of total control.

This new ‘me’ was lucky enough to be voted a ‘best male in the gym’ around 16 months after joining. It didn’t mean I had the best body, but had shown true commitment to myself and changed hugely physically and mentally in that short space of time. I experimented with giving up meat but struggled as I had less energy to train. I found I got drunk really quickly as I was carrying a lot less body fat. I moved from a low score out of 20 on the computer to 17. I actually did the circuit class which I had been watching going on in the dance studio and craved being fit enough to do. I ate pretty much what I wanted, when I wanted and didn’t put weight on.

It was an incredible time. I met my best friend – a soul brother – who to this day probably gets me more than any other person I have met since. Unfortunately I have moved 200 miles away but when we hook up it’s just so darn cool. He’s the one who encouraged me to go traveling around the world and it was from that event I met my wife.

The impact of the CPB was quickly lost as I developed a new fondness for food. This came to the fore when I was traveling as I needed to make the best use of the money I had and learned to cook cheaply and well. Meeting a chef in Australia helped too.

When I came back I was much wiser, even more relaxed, but also heavier. I was loved up. To cut a long story short, I was having a fantastic time with my wife and didn’t really worry about my weight. My blood pressure – despite my size – has never been an issue.

I knew I was big. The next change for me was having a little boy – well my wife had him but I was there – as I realized I wanted to make sure he enjoyed me as much as I enjoyed him. Children are a life changer. Very hard work when you do it right, but rewarding doesn’t describe how a child makes you feel. Nothing can really.

As you may have noticed I’ve kind of skipped lots of things. That’s because there’s so much to write and so little time. I will keep filling in stuff as we go, but I don’t want to rush things between us. 🙂

I said earlier I will let you know about this week. Before I do, here’s one more bit of information for you to put things in context – on January 14 2011 I weighed exactly 20 stone.

This week I weighed in at 16 stone 6.6lbs. I lost 1.6lbs this week which is a perfectly acceptable amount. My new lifestyle is working very well for me.

I am pleasantly surprised to have lost at all. I was expecting a STS – stayed the same for those not in the know – due to some of the stuff I have eaten.

I am not an advocate of using weekly points if it can be avoided but I ended up with 15 left. I ate a Chinese dish – house special fried rice – and had no idea of the points. I must have guessed well. My nemesis – bread – was eaten in the form of a Weight Watchers pizza and as sandwiches during 3 days of working lunches. I could have skipped them but we all have to relax every so often. I didn’t eat excessively but couldn’t be sure if it would impact on my weigh in. Luckily none of the above had any effect.

As usual I have had plenty of crisps, chocolate and biscuits. When I say plenty I mean hardly any but you get my drift.

I know it’s brief but there isn’t much more to say except I feel great and it’s been another successful week on my fabulous journey. I love my new lifestyle.

Other things have happened involving cash. The steering on one of our cars packed up. £315 later it works. As I said earlier, I regard this as a success. The car should run for another 10 years so it’s a good investment as far as I am concerned.

Our laptop stopped working. Luckily the hard drive is intact but off I popped today to buy a new one. £350 later and my wife is happy as her left leg – which she thought was chopped off – is back in its rightful place.

I have been on a course at work in respect of line management. This has given me a multitude of additional concepts and models to use at work and in my personal life.

I get my exam result a week on Monday. I think next week I may give my thoughts about the idea I could find out I am a qualified accountant early Monday morning on the 22nd.

Comments and feedback is greatly appreciated and if there’s anything you want to know, just ask.